1986 Trans Am Norwegian Wood
This third-gen Trans Am looks aggressive, but let us assure you, you have no idea how serious it really is. Check out the specs in the box and you'll see that this car is easily the most powerful in our group. But is earth-shattering torque the best way to get around a tight road course or autocross? Most experts would say no, but then again, they aren't calculating the fun quotient.
Polly, as his friends call him, actually bought this TA as a nice temporary second car until his main project was ready. Nevertheless, the more he drove it, the more it was apparent that the outstanding aerodynamics and handling of the F-body chassis was the ideal platform for what he had in mind. And what did he have in mind? Absolute fastest street car domination. Of course, we're not talking about the quarter-mile, although it has run a 9.19 at 155 mph even after blowing the trans at the eighth-mile mark. No, Polly wanted to run down Bugatti Veyrons in Europe.
For several years the ProCharger F3 blown 540ci Trans Am has held the title of Norway's fastest street car. It also took First Place in 2009 on a German television show looking for fastest street cars, and at the 2010 Silver State Classic Challenge (SSCC) it gathered up five First Place finishes: Unlimited Division, Fastest Trap Speed, Half-Mile Shootout, One-Mile Shootout, and Fastest Overall SSCC 2010. On top of that, it set the track record at the ATP-Papenburg Mercedes-Benz test track in Germany at 253 mph on the straightaway. In the rain, in the presence of slack-jawed AMG engineers. That friends, is the standing official record for Europe's fastest car.
Despite being a bit heavy at 4,200 pounds and being built with more of an emphasis on straight-line stability at high speed rather than precision cornering, the Trans Am performed remarkably well in all events at the OUSCI. Our only real regret from the 2010 OUSCI is being on the wrong side of the track when Polly did a high-speed burnout the entire length of the front straightaway on the Spring Mountain track!
By The Numbers
'86 Trans Am
Pal Arvid (Polly) Blytt; Godvik, Bergen, Norway
Overall Finishing Position: 4 out of 55
| ENGINE |
| Type: |
540ci big-block |
| Block: |
Donovan |
| Oiling: |
custom-made aluminum dry-sump pan by Polly Motorsport, Moroso oil pump, dual oil coolers |
| Rotating assembly: |
Callies crank with Oliver rods and 7.5:1 JE pistons |
| Cylinder heads: |
Dart 325cc, ported to 340cc by Polly Motorsports |
| Camshaft: |
COMP Cams solid-roller, .610/.615 lift, 265/270 duration at .050 |
| Valvetrain: |
Jesel 1.7 shaft mount rockers, COMP Cams dual valvesprings |
| Induction: |
Dart tunnel-ram intake with twin 75mm Edelbrock throttle bodies |
| Power adder: |
ProCharger F3 with six intercoolers in series |
| Exhaust: |
Polly Motorsport headers with custom pipes by Jensen Metallindustri |
| Fuel system: |
Bosch 1,880cc/min injectors with Weldon regulator, two Weldon electric pumps with frequency controller, ATL 44-gallon fuel cell |
| Ignition: |
Autronic SM4 controller, MSD coils and wires |
| Cooling: |
Griffin radiator with dual Flex-A-Lite electric fans |
| Output: |
1,407 hp at 6,800 rpm, 1,112 lb-ft of torque at 6,500 |
| Built by: |
Polly Motorsports |
| DRIVETRAIN |
| Transmission: |
ZF 6-speed from '91 ZR1 Corvette with modified McLeod bellhousing and Verktøymekanisk clutch |
| Rearend: |
custom full-floater 9-inch by Polly Motorsports with ATB Torsen differential, Verktøymekanisk 31-spline axles, and 2.47 gears |
| CHASSIS |
| Front suspension: |
custom tubular control arms by Polly Motorsport with C6 Corvette spindles, 1,050 lb/in Bilstein coilovers and a 36mm hollow sway bar |
| Rear suspension: |
320 lb/in Bilstein coilovers and a 40mm hollow adjustable sway bar |
| Brakes: |
15.5-inch carbon ceramic rotors with six-piston Brembo calipers up front, 13-inch Alcon rotors with Wilwood calipers on the rear |
| WHEELS & TIRES |
| Wheels: |
19x9 and20x12 Speedline |
| Tires: |
265/35R19 and 335/30R20 Pirelli |